WAILUKU - A Santa Cruz man accused of killing Santa Cruz assistant city attorney Celestial Cassman in Hawaii last fall has filed a motion to withdraw his plea, according to court records.

Gerald Galaway Jr., 39, pleaded no contest in June for the death of Cassman, his former girlfriend. Galaway was charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping and attempted sexual assault but under a plea bargain, he pleaded to manslaughter and kidnapping. He was expected to be sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison next month.

Cassman and Galaway were on vacation in Maui on Sept. 1 when police say Galaway attacked Cassman beside the road in the Nakalele Point area. A witness reported seeing Galaway holding Cassman in a chokehold and dragging her into the bushes as she kicked and screamed, police said. When officers arrived, Galaway jumped off a cliff and into the ocean. He was spotted in the ocean the next day and rescued by helicopter. He was taken to a local hospital to treat injuries he'd suffered in the jump and was then arrested.

Galaway's motion to withdraw his plea will be heard in court the first week of September, according to prosecutor Robert Rivera. Sentencing originally was scheduled for Sept. 11 but that likely will change depending on the plea hearing.

Galaway's attorney, William Sloper, said Wednesday that he couldn't comment on the case.

Cassman, 35, died of asphyxiation. The Seabright resident was an assistant city attorney for Santa Cruz, Capitola and Half Moon Bay. She was a graduate of UC Santa Cruz who earned her law degree at UC Davis.